image: C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Sylvester Myeloma Institute at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, has been named a recipient of the 2027 Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC) Pioneer Award. The honor recognizes his groundbreaking work advancing minimal residual disease (MRD) as an early measure of treatment effectiveness and an endpoint for accelerated approval of new multiple myeloma therapies.
Credit: Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
MIAMI (Nov. 11, 2026) – C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Sylvester Myeloma Institute at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, has been named a recipient of the 2027 Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC) Pioneer Award. The honor recognizes his groundbreaking work advancing minimal residual disease (MRD) as an early measure of treatment effectiveness and an endpoint for accelerated approval of new multiple myeloma therapies.
“Patients with multiple myeloma need better treatments, and time matters,” said Tal Behar, co-founder and president, Precision Medicine World Conference. “Dr. Landgren’s pioneering work on minimal residual disease is helping create a faster path for evaluating promising therapies. We are honoring him for connecting more precise science with a goal that matters to every patient: getting effective treatments to those who need them sooner.”
Landgren will be honored during PMWC 2027, Jan. 27-29, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in California. Established in 2009, the conference brings together researchers, clinicians, industry leaders and policymakers to translate scientific discoveries into advances in patient care. Its Pioneer Award recognizes individuals whose early vision and groundbreaking discoveries have helped establish the foundations of precision medicine.
The connection between discovery and care has been central to Landgren’s research, and this award credits his work with helping new therapies demonstrate effectiveness and potentially reach patients sooner.
“The sooner we know whether a treatment is working, the sooner we can make the next decision,” said Landgren. “MRD gives us an earlier, more precise signal to build on an effective therapy or change course without losing valuable time.”
MRD refers to tiny numbers of cancer cells that remain when a patient is in remission and can be detected only through highly sensitive laboratory testing.
His research includes the Sylvester-led ADVANCE trial, which used MRD to assess deep treatment responses in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma. His team continues to investigate treatment combinations and more precise ways to evaluate their effectiveness.
Beyond his pioneering work with MRD, Landgren is helping advance other innovative approaches to treating multiple myeloma, including bispecific T-cell therapies. His work at Sylvester focuses not only on expanding treatment options but also on making these therapies safer and more manageable for patients.
For patients whose cancer has returned or stopped responding, bispecific T-cell therapy can offer another approach. A bispecific drug acts like a connector: one part recognizes a cancer cell, while another engages a T cell, bringing the immune system directly to the cancer.
But access to the drug is only part of the equation.
“At first, these therapies are new for everyone, and experience becomes essential. It teaches us how to select patients, manage side effects and make treatment less burdensome. That learning directly affects the patient sitting in front of us,” said Landgren.
Landgren’s team manages nearly 10,000 myeloma patient outpatient visits annually, about 30% of them for research on clinical trials. That volume gives clinicians and researchers broad experience across patient needs and treatment stages.
When teclistamab became available for certain patients with previously treated multiple myeloma, one challenge was cytokine release syndrome (also called “CRS”), a potentially serious immune reaction that could require prolonged hospital monitoring.
His team studied preventive treatment to reduce that complication. Based on their work, the approach became standard care at Sylvester for myeloma patients receiving bispecific T-cell engagers targeting any antigens (such as BCMA, GPRC5D, or FcRH5), while researchers explored ways to reduce hospitalizations. The work demonstrates how clinical observation can lead to practical changes in care.
“The question isn’t simply, ‘Do we have this treatment?’ It’s, ‘How do we deliver it in the safest, smartest way for this patient?’” said Landgren, who will present updated bispecific T-cell engager therapy results at the December 2026 American Society of Hematology annual meeting and exposition.
“This is the promise of precision medicine and academic medicine: using what we learn from every study and every patient to make the next treatment decision more informed and, ultimately, give people better options,” he said.
Read more about this award and Landgren’s research on the InventUM blog and follow @SylvesterCancer on X for the latest news on its research and care.
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